Colin Dion Cutchember, 48, of Lexington Park
Colin Dion Cutchember, 48, of Lexington Park, has been charged with distribution of a narcotic controlled dangerous substance and possession of a controlled dangerous substance other than cannabis after St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office deputies said they found suspected crack cocaine during a July 3, 2026, search warrant operation in Leonardtown.
According to police filings, detectives assigned to the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Vice/Narcotics Unit, along with additional officers from the Criminal Investigations Division, gathered that afternoon to execute a signed search and seizure warrant for Cutchember’s DNA. Deputies said they observed Cutchember operating a red 2004 Ford F-250 with Virginia registration and parking near a fuel pump at “Third Base Liquors” on Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown.
Investigators said they were familiar with Cutchember from prior law enforcement interactions and identified him at the scene. As officers entered the property with emergency lights activated, a detective corporal reported seeing Cutchember standing outside the driver’s door, between the truck and a fuel pump. The detective said Cutchember looked toward officers and leaned downward with his left shoulder “as if he was discarding something away from the direction of the police,” according to the allegation.
Cutchember was taken into custody without further incident. Deputies said a St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office K9 conducted a free-air sniff around the red Ford and alerted to the vehicle and a trash can directly next to it. A later search allegedly turned up a tied-off plastic bag with a gross weight of 5.5 grams containing numerous individually packaged quantities of suspected crack cocaine in the trash can. Deputies also reported finding two individually packaged tie-off quantities of suspected crack cocaine on the passenger seat of the Ford, an open box of plastic sandwich bags on the center console, $890 in U.S. currency in the glove box, and a black Apple iPhone in a blue case in the center console.
In the filing, the deputy wrote that, based on training and experience, individually packaged quantities of drugs, additional plastic baggies, and the amount of cash found were viewed as signs of distribution. The deputy also noted that the suspected crack cocaine found inside the Ford appeared to be packaged the same way as the larger amount recovered from the trash can.
After being advised of his rights, Cutchember allegedly said he understood them and agreed to speak with officers without a lawyer present. Police said Cutchember claimed ownership of the two individually packaged quantities of suspected crack cocaine found inside the vehicle, but denied ownership of the larger quantity found in the trash can.
Cutchember was transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center, where custody was transferred to correctional staff. The filings state that he was charged with CDS distribution of narcotics and CDS possession not cannabis. The charge summary lists the distribution count as carrying a possible penalty of up to 20 years and/or a $15,000 fine, while the possession count carries a possible penalty of up to one year and/or a $5,000 fine.
At his initial appearance on July 3, 2026, Cutchember waived an attorney for that proceeding only. A judicial officer ordered him held without bond, citing a reasonable likelihood that he posed a danger to an alleged victim, another person, or the community, and a reasonable likelihood that he would not appear when required. The release conditions listed in the paperwork included not engaging in criminal conduct, appearing in court when notified, and abstaining from alcohol or the abusive use or possession of narcotics or other controlled dangerous substances without a prescription.
A bail review was held on July 6, 2026, and Cutchember remained held without bond. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for July 30, 2026, in St. Mary’s District Court.
The July 2026 arrest came after four prior St. Mary’s County drug convictions over roughly 24 years, including felony narcotics distribution or possession-with-intent convictions tied to offenses in 1998, 2012, 2019, and 2022. Cutchember’s prior drug-distribution history dates back to an offense listed from July 3, 1998, when he pleaded guilty to felony manufacture/distribution of narcotics and was later sentenced to 18 months in jail, with records showing a converted total of one year and six months to serve. In another felony narcotics case tied to an August 16, 2012, offense, he was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute narcotics and received a five-year sentence, with all but three months and 16 days suspended, along with five years of supervised probation. In a 2019 case, he pleaded guilty to felony possession with intent to distribute narcotics tied to an August 2, 2019, offense and was sentenced on July 20, 2020, to 10 years in jail, with all but 18 months suspended, followed by three years of supervised probation. In a separate 2022 case, Cutchember again pleaded guilty to felony possession with intent to distribute narcotics tied to an October 6, 2022, offense and was sentenced on December 1, 2023, to 10 years in jail. The July 2026 arrest paperwork states he was “currently on supervised probation” for a previous conviction when deputies arrested him again, but the available records do not explain why he was no longer incarcerated despite the 10-year sentence listed in the 2022 case.
